Just the day to day of two kids from Chicago as they take on their next greatest adventure.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Life with Jane

A few weeks ago, not long after bringing Jane home, we got her spayed. It was a harrowing experience for her, and I felt terrible, but it needed to get done.

Up until now, her only experiences with being in a carrier have been stressful for her, so I felt bad fighting to get her into the carrier and taking her back to the shelter where we got her. The nurse/technician at the clinic said that when she took Jane back into the clinic and put her into a cage that she started shaking, almost like she remembered the cages and was saying, "No, not this again!" Definitely not something I should have been told. I went home and kept saying, "We don't really need to get her spayed....do we?"

﻿After a day and a half, we were able to pick her up from the clinic and bring her home. She was walking a little funny, and she spent a few hours inspecting her normal hiding spots to make sure that everything was just as she left it. Then, we had to introduce.....

Not pleased with us.

﻿The cone of shame.

Oh man, this was the worst part. She hated it! When we put it on her, she started walking backwards like she was stuck in something and was trying to get out of it. She'd walk backwards for hours, shaking her head and meowing. Heartbreaking! We'd leave it on all night and all day, and take it off her for a few hours once we came home, just to give her a break. It was only a week, but she probably lost a life or two stressing out about it.

One thing that I didn't mind once she was home from the clinic? The affection! Whether she was just glad to be home or thought that we didn't want her anymore and then changed our minds, or if the drugs were stronger for her little body than they thought, she was super affectionate for a few days. The day we brought her back, she spent most of the afternoon curled up in bed with me. She gave me lots of kisses, too, and just generally seemed happy to be home. Since then, she's spent a lot of time flopping over and spending time with us, like this:
﻿

I'll be good for you, hoomans! I promise!

﻿Jane likes to cuddle, but only on her terms. Trust me--she'll let you know when she's ready. Sometimes she's happy laying right next to you in bed, and when you reach out to scratch her ears, she starts thumping her tail and narrowing those eyes. "Hands off if you know what's good for you...."

In retrospect, we should have gotten her spayed right away. I thought a two-week adjustment period with us would be good for her--it was!--but bringing her home from the clinic meant she had to do some readjusting to us. However, "the procedure" helped her in a few ways, and now that she's an official member of the family and has really settled in, she's a little more predictable. Her playing, for example. The first two weeks, she wouldn't really play with us. She'd watch the balls and fishing pole-type toys move in front of her, and she'd sniff them to make sure they weren't a threat to her territory, but not much else. Now, her favorites include a very battered feather duster toy, a red stuffed mouse flown in from Hawaii (Thanks, Liz!), and the little blue rings from a gallon of milk. She's extremely skeptical of those....

You again?!

She's also started perching. The first few weeks she was home she'd camp out on the floor and watch us come and go. She spent a few minutes on top of the couch but decided that wasn't a good spot for her; she could see more by laying on the floor. Then one day, the windows were open and she started prowling around. She's become a big fan of spying on us from the couch.